Hi folks:
I know this has been a touchy subject of late here and I do not want to stir the pot as it were. But, it seems to me that Lyme and it other tick-borne ilk affect people in different ways and some are almost asymptomatic while some get very debilitated with most of us somewhere in-between. This is what makes the TBDs a very hard nut to crack - there are as many "right" ways to treat these things as there are people who have them. When I see the arguments arise here that antibiotics are "right" and then a huge ground swell of the anti-antibiotic crowd weighing in and the clash that then arises, it gets kind of old.
I am not what you would call a regular poster here (if regular means daily or even weekly) but I do check in from time-to-time to see what's up. I live in Maryland which is right in the bulls eye (pardon the pun) of endemic Lyme areas. I use these on-line forums to get information as well as our local Lyme Disease Association group (meets monthly). Plus I have found quite a contingent of local folks here in my area with which to share ideas and treatment/detox strategies. I happen to be a believer in a lot of what Klinghardt states that this disease is a combination of pathogen load, ability to detox AND (often not considered) one's EMOTIONAL constitution. So, IMO, we need to address all three of these areas to get better.
The first area, involving pathogen load, can be addressed with abx's, herbals, naturopathic remedies, etc. and THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER that can be applied across the board for all people. So, when newbies show up here (as we all were at one time), they all want quick answers and quick results. If someone says that antibiotics are the right choice over herbals OR VICE VERSA, I think we do them a disservice by trying to promote one way or the other. Again, the answer for that new person may be one way or the other or a hybrid of the two or even some other means like Rife machines (I don't happen to like these but it has evidently helped some people!)!. And that only addresses a portion of the problem. We then have to talk a LOT about detox and methods for doing same.
The thing I don't see mentioned here much is the emotional aspects of the disease. It's s touchy subject but I believe it plays a paramount role on how we get better. One reason why I do not spend a whole lot of time on here is that I try and forget that I have Lyme at times. I accept it and do the best I can to work and get through a day - some days are good and some days are bad - but I try to slug through and not submit to the disease as much as I could! All disease, in my my estimation have body/mind/soul components and we are remiss if we only address the "body" portion of the equation. If we can reprogram the mind to not live the disease but rather live LIFE as best we can, we go a long way to helping the body heal itself ALONG with whatever physical "help" it gets of your choosing (abx, herbals, etc.). heck, that's why placebos work in many drug studies - because the mind thinks it will work and the body responds as such!. I am a strong believer that if you think like a sick person, you will remain a sick person (and I am guilty many times of this myself)! Think as positive as possible and develop your own approach to how you will need to get better.
My own approach varies as I proceed down the path to health. I am taking abx's plus doing the Byron White herbal protocol (A-Bab, A-L). I take mega vitamin and mineral supplements and am even trying colostrum (for EBV). I am working to recover my adrenals/thyroid by trying Yaskos protocol for methylation. Add to this acupuncture (to support anti-inflammatory response and help keep the detox pathways open), meditation, exercise, FIR sauna, epsom salt baths, etc. and I am getting along alright...just one day at a time. Slowly but surely, it seems that I am making forward progress as my sleep has improved greatly and my good days are getting more frequent as my bad days get less. Having had this for 35+ years, it will take some time to get back to normal but I am sure I will get there in due time.
But, my approach will be different from another's approach and both may work equally well. As you may have gathered from some of my posts, I do not like Doctors - good bad or indifferent - who post about Lyme and its treatments and then immediately follow with a 'cure' that they have conjured up. Call me cynical or whatever, but I would rather hear about that supposed cure from people like ourselves and how well it may have worked for them. I then use this information with what I know is working or not working for me and decide if/how to proceed to try it. It's a very personal disease with a very personal set of things that are needed for a cure. Thanks for all here who provide the good information...sorry for the soap box and Be well.
Yazzer